STAWELL - Victoria's firefighting capabilities have been strengthened by the strategic placement of powerful firefighting aircraft around the state, including a crew based at Stawell air base.
Fire crews were quick to bring a Sawmill Track fire in the Grampians National Park under control in early January as a result of the additional crews based in the region.
A number of aircraft assisted the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Parks Victoria and the Country Fire Authority to black out the fire.
The fire, which was sparked by lightning, burnt 230 hectares along the eastern side of the Victoria Range in the Grampians National Park.
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A crew stationed at Stawell air base dropped 57 loads - almost 80,000 litres - of water on to the fire on day one and 36 loads on the second day to bring it under control.
Captain David Sewell from Kestrel Aviation, a private company contracted out during the fire season, said his crew was sent where it was deemed to be needed.
"We just spent two months up at Sea Lake during the harvest season, then they called us out here," he said.
Captain Sewell said the crew would remain stationed at Stawell until the first week of February.
"We wait here until we get called out," he said.
"We're the first crew called out. The others get called out if we need help."
Two Sikorsky helicopters were also set down at Stawell air base for a day following the Sawmill Track fire. These included an S61N aircraft owned by Coulson Aircranes, which is based in Port Alberni in Canada's British Colombia province.
Crew chief Don Wigen said the Coulson helicopter dumped 33 loads of water on the Sawmill Track fire. He said the tank held 4,000 litres and took about 45 seconds to fill.
"We usually have a snorkel on it, but we put it away to travel," Mr Wigen said, as he and co-pilot Peter Neilly prepared to head back to their Australian base at Colac.
Mr Neilly said Coulsons sent out two aircraft to Australia during the southern hemisphere's bushfire season.
"We were in Perth last year, helping out with the fires for about six weeks and we also did some flood relief in Bendigo," he said.
"We're grateful to be here in Australia - It's a privilege to be here."
Erickson Aircranes' 'Delilah' also touched down in Stawell after waiting on stand by at Victoria Valley to assist with the Sawmill Track bushfire.
Pilot Jeff Shelton said by the time Delilah was called into help, the fire was mostly contained.
Mr Shelton said Delilah was one of six Erickson Aircranes currently in Australia for the bushfire season.
"There are two in Sydney, 'Elvis' in Melbourne, one in Adelaide and one in Perth. Delilah is based in Ballarat," he said.
Mr Shelton said there were two different models, both featuring different engines.
Delilah, an S-64E model, is powered by two Pratt and Whitney turbine engines generating a combined maximum takeoff rating of 9,000 shaft horsepower, giving it an external load lift capacity of 20,000 pounds (9,072 kg) at sea level.
"She burns about 2,000 litres of fuel an hour and takes two pilots to fly," Mr Shelton said.
"We usually drop about 8,000 litres of water at a time."
Mr Shelton said while in Australia the Delilah crew travelled in a pod along with a smaller Firebird 313 helicopter.
"It leads us to the fire and tells us where to drop the water," he said.
"It acts as a go-between between ground and air support."
Mr Shelton has been coming to Australia from Oregon in the United States - where Erickson Aircranes is based - for about five years, working three weeks on, three weeks off.
"I love Australia. I enjoy it a lot, the people are very friendly," he said.
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